A man stands in front of a wall, waiting for his obligatory work hours to pass. Photo: Irina Popova/The Guardian.

“Photographer Irina Popova’s new book documents her trip inside a controversial Soviet-era workhouse for substance abusers – where most inmates get drunk to celebrate their release,” says The Guardian in a photo report about the country’s LTPs (activity therapy centers).

“A strange hybrid of rehab and prison, Belarus’s Labour Treatment Profilactorium for the Alcohol and Drug-Addicted is a Soviet-era programme still used as part of the country’s penal system. Men and women with substance abuse issues can be incarcerated here for extended lengths of time, despite committing no crime,” says the publication.